RESEARCH QUESTION

How should resource-constrained social-commerce startups decide which media metrics matter at each stage of the customer journey?

CONTEXT

This research report examines how social-commerce startups in China can allocate media investment across platforms such as Douyin and Xiaohongshu.

PROBLEM

Early-stage brands cannot optimise every metric at once. The central problem was to identify which indicators matter at each stage of the customer journey and how they should guide low-cost testing and budget adjustment.

APPROACH

I reviewed the operating logic of social commerce, the media vehicles available to platform-native brands, and the constraints of asset-light startup models. I organised reach, frequency, engagement, click-through, conversion, acquisition cost, and ROI into a funnel that connects metrics to communication objectives.

KEY INSIGHT

Measurement should operate as a decision system rather than a reporting dashboard. Each metric is useful only when connected to a specific funnel stage and a decision the team can act on.

WHAT I’D DO DIFFERENTLY

I would validate the framework with campaign-level data and test how attribution windows and platform-specific behaviour change the apparent relationship between engagement and conversion.